The Absolute Best Hours for Hunting Eastern Coyotes


The best hours for hunting eastern coyotes? It’s not what you’ve been told. In fact, by simply hunting well before or after dark, you’ll be hunting them when they are sometimes twice as active.

The best hours for hunting eastern coyotes.

For many years, the standard advice has been to hunt eastern coyotes at dusk or dawn. We’ve been told this is when they are out hunting prey and are the most active.

At dusk, the theory was that coyotes are just waking up and willing to grab a quick and early meal to fill their bellies. Or, at dawn, a coyote heading home after a fruitless night looking for a rabbit will be desperate for a last-minute meal.

It isn’t bad advice. It just isn’t the best.

Related: How to track a wounded coyote.

The best hours for hunting eastern coyotes in the suburbs is always at night.

For state and national parks: Coyote activity will typically be during the day. The one time this won’t be true is during denning season. Eastern coyotes in state and national parks are much more active at night during the denning season.

For rural and suburban areas, coyote activity will be primarily nocturnal. The one exception? Females during the breeding season.

No matter the month or the season, hunting (suburban) eastern coyotes at night is best due to one factor: it’s when they are always most active according to this study.

Related: How to hunt an eastern coyote.

Best time for hunting eastern coyotes during mating season.

  1. First place: Nighttime (between 5 p.m. and 6 a.m.). Nearly 80% of eastern coyotes will be on the move during these 13 hours.
  2. Second place: Dusk. 20% less activity than night.
  3. Third place: Dawn. 30% less activity than night.
  4. Last place: Daytime. 85% less activity during the day than during the night.

Best hours for hunting eastern coyotes during denning season.

  1. First place: Nighttime (between 7:30 p.m. and 0530 a.m.). 75% of eastern coyotes will be moving during these 12 hours. 
  2. Second place: Dusk. 20% less activity than night.
  3. Third place: Dawn. 30% less activity than night.
  4. Last place: Daytime. 75% less activity during the day than during the night.

Best time for hunting eastern coyotes during pup rearing season.

  1. First place: A three-way tie between nighttime, dusk, and dawn. 
  2. Last place: Daytime. There’s 60% less coyote activity during the day than at any other time.

Best hours for hunting eastern coyotes during dispersal season.

  1. First place: Nighttime (between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.). 80% of eastern coyotes are moving during these 12 hour hours.
  2. Second place: Dusk. 40% less activity than at night.
  3. Third place: Dawn: 50% less activity than at night.
  4. Last place: Daytime. Nearly 90% less activity than during the day.
Best hours for hunting eastern coyotes
Eastern coyote visiting bait pile. Photo Credit: Dennis V. Gilmore jr.

Related: The best place to aim at and shoot a coyote.

The information in this article is from a longer post. It was abbreviated to aid eastern coyote hunters.

Author page here:Dennis-Gilmore.

Dennis V. Gilmore Jr.

Dennis V. Gilmore Jr. is a former Marine Sergeant and the author of several books, including two on night hunting coyotes and red and gray fox. He has written several hundred articles on predator hunting for ThePredatorHunter.com.

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